Andy Hopper had enough to deal with. She hated her mom's new boyfriend, she was still grieving the death of her sister, and she hadn't seen her dad in years. The last thing she needed was to be packed up and shipped off to the small town of Hawkins...
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ANDY'S FEET POUNDED AGAINST THE GRASS, kicking up dirt as she sprinted towards the Byers house, like she was an Olympic champion. She was far from it, but the amount of walking she had done the last year had prepared her for times like these when she needed to sprint. And her sheer panic and desperation spurred her on. Sweat rolled down her skin in salty beads, making her clothes cling to her body. Her chest throbbed and her legs felt about ready to drop off, but she persisted until she crashed through the Byers front door without even knocking.
Inside the house, Mike, Will, Joyce, and an already confused Bob Newby watched the girl in shock.
"Is she here?" Andy mumbled to herself under her breath so the others couldn't hear. She ran through the house, bursting open every door to see if anyone was inside. She had looked everywhere for Eleven, searching almost the entire town of Hawkins. Will's house, Dustin's house, Lucas' house, the middle school, arcade, and even the supermarket just in case the girl had decided to pop out to buy more Eggos, but she was nowhere to be found.
Andy hurtled back into the living, ready to depart to her next location, but Joyce grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at her. "Andy, it's okay." The woman cooed and for the first time today Andy felt herself calm and the world stopped spinning. "We're going to find him."
Andy's brows furrowed and a wash of confusion came over. "What?" She asked forcefully. She didn't understand the pronoun being used, Eleven wasn't a him and Joyce didn't know about Eleven, why would she say they'd find her?
"Yeah, Hopper. That's why you're here, isn't it?" Joyce questioned, rubbing the girl's upper arm soothingly. She often worried about Andy. She knew how difficult Hopper could be and couldn't imagine what it was like to live with him. She found herself becoming almost like a second mother to the girl. Her Hawkins mom they both called her and since Andy had become close friends with Jonathan it only became even more fitting. So, when the girl stood in front of her panic-stricken and on the verge of tears, she worried and presumed it was down to the fact her dad had disappeared.
Andy's face crinkled in confusion and she became even more distressed than before. "My dad is missing?"
"Yeah, thats what this is for." Joyce moved to the side, revealing the room and for the first time Andy noticed the chaos. Every inch of the house was covered in sheets of paper with scribbles on them. They were all different shapes, sizes, and colours but fitted together like a puzzle to make something that resembled a giant octopus.
She looked back to Joyce. "I don't understand." She said. The weird drawings only added to her bemusement, not solved it. The older woman looked between Andy and the muddled Bob, before grabbing the girls hand and pulling her into the hallway. She needed to tell Andy the truth, but not Bob.
